Archive for

Betcha’ Can’t Wait for Joe the Ringtone

So it looks like Joe the Plumber doesn’t have to compromise his economic acumen or free-market ideals by being a business owner under an Obama presidency. Turns out he is likely embarking on an artistic career as a country music star.

Man, this election season just cannot get any better!

They’ll Come to Bury McCain; Not to Praise Him

While this is a post for another day – in considerable more detail, too – the GOP is apparently planning a “secret” post-election meeting to discuss recovery efforts… a meeting that will focus, prominently, on Sarah Palin. This strikes me as a mistake. As small-government conservatives try to find a new direction for the party, I’m unconvinced that the evangelical base (as represented by Mrs. Palin) is the way to go. Maybe America will have forgotten the Bush administration’s catastrophic romp through theocratic, denialist politics, but for our sake, I hope we won’t.

GOP Invokes the Scarlet “A,” and McCain Lies About Khalidi

Elizabeth Dole, trying to smear her way to victory in a contentious race for the North Carolina Senate, has debuted a television ad tying her opponent to a group of atheists, on the strength of fabricated audio and the extremely tenuous link that the atheist group (“Godless Americans PAC”) held a secret fundraiser in honor of her opponent (Kay Hagan). It should go without saying that no candidate can know every one of her supporters, nor does every candidate necessarily support every belief of every one of her supporters.

Setting aside simple dishonesty, though, Senator Dole should be ashamed of herself for continuing the Republican’s perpetual theme of waving “different”/scary minorities in front of mainstream America in an effort to drum up votes by playing to prejudices. In 2000 and 2004 we had, courtesy George W. Bush, “oh no, gays!” Throughout this election we’ve had, “oh no, theoretical a Muslim!” mixed with “oh no, a (if-you-stretch-the-definition-of-socialist-so-everyone-in-America-is-a-socialist) socialist!” It was only a matter of time before the atheism card was played. Running Completely out of ideas, all the GOP has left is rabid, violent cries of “NOBAMA,” guilt by tenuous association, and otherizing elements of the opposition.

No doubt Senator Dole is taking her cues from Senator McCain, who continued (through Sarah Palin) to push Obama’s tenuous, purely work-related ties with “pro-Palestine” university professor Rashid Khalidi as reason to fear his “radicalism.” This despite proof that McCain’s ties to both Khalidi and Khalidi’s pro-Palestine agenda run deeper than his ties with Obama, and despite the fact that, when this story broke six months ago, it actually proved that Obama (when confronted with anti-Israel rhetoric) sensibly advocated common ground… Oops. Somehow the story about how “radical” Obama is doesn’t work as well, when it includes talk about Obama de-radicalizing the crowd. Clearly, McCain is running on empty, and dragging American political discourse down with him and his party.

But, since we here on the interconnected series of tubes are bound by no similar rules of decorum, let’s take the chance to push some guilt-by-association of our own! Feel free to start chain letters of your own on these VERY IMPORTANT topics!

• Senator Dole proudly eulogized controversial, racist, segregationist Senator Jesse Helms, a man at odds with any vision of a pluralistic, peaceful, integrated America. By implication, some of Dole’s supporters are likely ex-Helms supporters, and a number are probably racist. Quick! Someone fake up some audio footage, and let’s go to the airwaves!
• You think atheist supporters are bad? What about rabidly homophobic, anti-Catholic, antisemitic preachers? Senator McCain has one of those.

Spread the word. After all, why talk about the future of America, when he can reopen old wounds?

The Boring Truth Behind Obama’s 2001 Redistribution “Bombshell”

When Barack Obama talks about “redistribution” in the context of court orders, here’s what he’s talking about (shamelessly ripped from Slate): “In 1964, law professor Charles Reich wrote a hugely influential article called “The New Property.” Reich’s idea was that some benefits, once conferred by the government, couldn’t be taken away without some sort of legal process. [. . .] In 1970, the Supreme Court picked up on this idea in the context of welfare benefits. In a 6-to-3 decision, Goldberg v. Kelly, the court said that the state could not terminate those benefits without giving the recipient a hearing.”

A Lot Can Change in Eight Years (The Evolution of a “Maverick”)

Here’s the question of the day: is John McCain a maverick? Well, let’s define our terms, gentlemen. If by “maverick,” you mean, “politician willing to break with conventional party knowledge, just to serve the greater good,” then…

No. John McCain is not a “maverick.” Or at least he isn’t anymore. He’s even taking his talking points from President Bush.

Case in point: the rantings and ravings coming from the McCain/Palin ticket, about how Barack Obama is a “socialist” for favoring progressive tax policy, are not bolts out of the blue. In fact, McCain has a record of characterizing his opponents’ tax policies as “class warfare.”

Just normally, it’s for the other side.

In fact, accusations of “class warfare” during a presidential race have a storied past. Eight years ago, John McCain warned that Governor Bush’s tax plan, by increasing the rich-poor gap, threatened “class warfare,” marking McCain’s first mention of the term. McCain of 2000 thought that “class warfare” meant helping the rich, and ignoring the poor.

But he lost. The talking point didn’t work. George W. Bush won the primaries largely because he favored tax “relief” for the rich, and he went on to the general election. But Bush took McCain’s talking point, and ran with it – in the opposite direction. At the presidential debates, Bush accused Gore of waging “class warfare” by focusing on tax cuts for the middle class instead of the rich. Bush turned McCain’s fear of “class warfare” on its head, and used it to “win” the Presidency.

Today, McCain is pushing Bush’s version of the “class warfare”/”socialism” argument, indicating nothing less than a complete abandonment of everything he used to stand for. But you don’t have to take my word for it. Take John McCain’s… and his far-right critics (below the line).

So, to repeat the question: is John McCain a maverick? Well, if by “maverick,” you mean, “erratic politician willing to compromise his principles just to get ahead,” then…

Yes.

Continue reading »

10 To-Do’s to Protect Your Vote.

Sometimes plagiarism has a moral imperative … Like when Daily Kos has a piece on vote stealing, listing things every voter can do to protect him or herself from nefarious efforts to deny his or her vote. Word-for-word, here are 10 commandments to follow before November 4 and if you experience ANY difficulties at the precinct.

*** *** ***

Never allow intimidation! Cast your ballot!

1. Call and make sure your voter registration is in order TODAY. Fix problems by the end of the week. Especially in swing states and states where GOP leadership has passed new ID laws. Help the elderly in your area verify their rights to vote and help them get to the polls.
2. Bring copies of your birth certificate, SSI card, drivers license, and utility bill envelopes addressed to you at your address. Also, bring someone who can vouch for who you are.  [Ed note #1: also, KNOW THE LAW in your state! In PA, you don't have to have any of this if you've already voted once in that precinct, but bring a driver's license anyways just in case!]
3. Make sure your Drivers License has your voting address on it. Pay the fee and get it updated BEFORE NOVEMBER 4th. This may not be necessary; however, it is becoming more important these days. [Ed note #2: if someone gives you trouble, as a last ditch request, ask to fill out a provisional ballot!]
4. Verify the location of your voting booth. Make sure you know of any last minute switch-a-roos.
5. Students – Vote Early! Or get your stuff in order so you can vote. Go home if your college is giving you problems. Voting this year is really important enough to even miss a couple of days of school if you have to.
6. Report any/all efforts to intimidate voters in your area.
7. Bring a note pad and pencil and write down the names and descriptions of anyone giving you a hard time. Also, bring a camera or cell phone and take their pictures. Heck, video tape the whole thing.
8. Call your local TV stations if problems present themselves. It’s amazing how people will back down if they think they will be on TV misbehaving.
9. Look for legal representatives that should be on site to insure a fair election. VOTE!
10. NEVER BE RUDE OR ANGRY. Be patient AND persistent. Negative behavior will only harm all of us. No matter how unfair and unjust your situation may become, win the hearts and minds of those who are giving you a hard time. Invite them to walk in your shoes and ask them “If you were me right now, and your right to vote was being questioned, what would you do to fix the problem?” Then ask them to help you fix your problem in that manner. BE NICE!

*** *** ***

My voter registration form was “lost” last summer, preventing me from voting last November. I also ran into issues during the NY primary with locating my name on the rolls. (And I did bring all of my papers: my registration card, my ID, my birth certificate, my marriage certificate … I was ready.) Interestingly, someone was there, observing, and he made sure, as I was leaving, that I was able to vote. (I was.)

Also, really, if an elderly or disabled person needs a lift to the precincts, be a hero. My neighbor across the street is a 94-year-old woman who I take to vote. We are a motley crew: me, my neighbor, my infant son.

Latest Republican Lies: Israel, and Redistributive Courts

Continuing her appeal to the lowest common demoninator, Sarah Palin persisted in claiming that Obama favored court-instituted socialism, per a 2001 quote that actually says the exact opposite. Meanwhile, Republicans are using Obama’s association with a pro-Palestine U.Chicago professor to insinuate that Barack Obama is anti-Semitic, a cancerous lie drawing strength from the various chain e-mails that continue to paraodoxically insist that – in one breath – Barack Obama is a Muslim with a controversial Christian pastor. But if you want to talk about anti-Semitism… let’s talk about John McCain and John Hagee. Oh, and McCain funded the pro-Palestine professor.

Snubbing Sarah

John McCain took a cue from Dwight of “The Office” fame (YouTube!), shunning his running mate by – shame! – not sitting next to her on the campaign bus! I’d just die. Palin, in the meantime, made a bold move, and condemned Senator Ted Stevens, urging him to resign – despite the fact that she’ll, in all likelihood, have to work with him next year as Governor of Alaska.

The Tubes are Clear! Ted Stevens’ Political Career is Flushed.

My dad (a Wyoming native) lived in Alaska in the 60s, where Ted Stevens was synonymous with “old-boy-network” well before he hit the Senate. I grew up listening to my father rail against the corruption and cronyism of Stevens and his band of, um, corrupt cronies. My dad’s diatribes were so regular I feared there would be a massive tear in the space-time continuum if he didn’t reference Stevens every couple of months. Yes, you can thank my dad for keeping the fabric of the universe together.

But I can’t totally hate on Stevens, partially because he has been a part of my life for so long and primarily because he has done so much for Alaska. We charge our representatives with the task of representing the interests of their constituents, and no one did it better than Stevens. Let’s not be so naïve to think that stuff gets done exactly the way it is theoretically supposed to: make a proposal, have healthy debate, vote, and let the chips fall where they may. Everything — and I mean EVERYTHING — that gets done ANYWHERE (congress, the board room, the PTA, the condo board, the playground) gets done to some extent through manipulation and negotiation and wheeling and dealing. Where Stevens made his mistake is by making the house cut (ha!) a little too sizeable (and by hanging with a really creepy dude).

Continue reading »

Complaining About Media Bias

Conservatives, in both politics and media, love to complain about the media’s overall favorable coverage of Barack Obama, and its overall negative coverage of John McCain. If one whiny Fox News anchor is any indicator, some are pretty mad about it. But here’s the thing: what is bias? As Politico reminds us, objectivity does not require neutrality. If something is objectively wrong, it doesn’t deserve “neutral” coverage. John McCain is losing, and dishonorably so; pointing that out isn’t biased. It’s fact.